NEW YEAR'S EVE (REVIEW)

Hello everyone. Apologies for the minor hiatus from posting.

Here is something to kick-off the festive season.

The director of Pretty Woman and Valentine's Day has a new offering for the hopeless romantics in each of us. It is a film entitled New Year's Eve, and is set in the city with one of the most iconic New Year's Eve celebrations- New York City.

I watched it at EVENT Cinemas, George St. It was a slightly disappointing experience because of a few distractions I had- some of which include the lingering scent of burgers (from patrons beside, behind and in front of me), the rude sms-messaging of the guy beside me and the chatter from people. I'm digressing once again.

The film mirrors the set-up of the British film Love Actually through the relationships of the characters. One character is related to another through family ties, through friendship or through happenstance. Considering that the film is set in the hours preceding NYE, it seemed quite fitting to have so many characters' stories explored in a short amount of time.

Another element that I found fascinating was the casting. Actors like Sarah Jessica Parker and Lea Michele (who seem almost synonymous to the New York Scene) were chosen. Other interesting casting choices included Ashton Kutcher and Jessica Biel who acted in Valentine's Day. The inter-play of characters portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer and Zac Efron seemed to refer to another of Pfeiffer's previous films, where she acted as an older woman who had a relationship with a younger man. I almost didn't recognise Cary Elwes, probably because I always associated him with the young rogue from The Princess Bride. My favourite in this film was most probably Sofia Vergara, though I felt like her character in this film was too similar in mannerisms to her Modern Family character. Either way, she was hilarious.

It's quite amusing how the screenplay seemed to reference the (current) works of some of the actors who took part. Lea Michele, Sofia Vergara and Michelle Pfeiffer are a few that I took notice of. Elise (Lea Michele) reminded me of Rachel Berry from Glee, albeit a slightly older/more mature version.

I loved the poignant moment in one of the scenes where the camera panned across Sarah Jessica Parker's stilettos before showing her face. It reminded me of Sex and the City.

The best part of the film was probably the lighthearted ending after the credits.

I can see why critics from TIME magazine and IMDB gave this film a low rating. There wasn't too much sophistication in terms of plot, though there were a few significant pockets that showed deeper stories about some of the characters. The film was quite playful and light. It wasn't boring per se, though it isn't everyone's cup of tea.